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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. last — to go on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — final
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a committee
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com